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ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2026, V. 23, No. 1, pp. 260-271

On the issue of “instantaneous” measurement of capillary slopes of the sea surface using laser “skirts”

V.V. Sterlyadkin 1, 2 , M.V. Likhacheva 1 , K.V. Kulikovsky 1 
1 MIREA — Russian Technological University, Moscow, Russia
2 Space Research Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia
Accepted: 13.11.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2026-23-1-260-271
The laser “skirt” method is a new method that involves video recording of a laser beam incident downward on the sea surface. In the absence of capillary waves, the beam image curves smoothly. With intense capillary action, the beam image takes the form of a light skirt that expands downward from the point of beam incidence on the surface. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between capillary wave parameters and the irradiance distribution in the laser skirt. It is theoretically shown that the main contribution to the width of the laser skirt intensity distribution comes from slopes perpendicular to the camera observation axis. Unlike previous studies, this one also takes into account wave slopes along the camera observation axis. Measurement errors are calculated. The distribution of capillary slopes can be estimated almost instantly, even from a single frame with a shutter speed of 0.01 s. The spatial averaging scale can vary from 10×5 cm and higher. Examples of in situ measurements under various meteorological conditions, both at night and with daytime background lighting, are provided. The advantage of this method is the ability to perform 24-hour measurements of both the full slope distribution and the distribution of wave slopes of different scales, such as only the capillary fraction or the gravity-capillary part of the wave.
Keywords: capillary waves, in situ measurements, slope distribution, slope dispersion, remote sensing, laser method
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